


A Face to Remember

by hey_tsukki



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Actor Hinata Shouyou, Alternate Universe - Corporate, Alternate Universe - Office, Angst, Drama, Fluff, Kageyama Tobio & Oikawa Tooru Are Related, Kageyama has prosopagnosia, Kageyama is an important guy in this company, M/M, Model Hinata Shouyou, No Volleyball, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rated T for language, hinata and kiyoko and ushijima are bffs, i did not know this was an actual tag, mostly because i've forgotten which ones to add, tsukishima is Tired
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:28:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25197733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hey_tsukki/pseuds/hey_tsukki
Summary: Kageyama hasn’t been able to recognise anyone since the accident, but he eventually learns to live with it. Then Hinata shows up, and Kageyama just can’t forget.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Oikawa Tooru/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So some of the elements in this were inspired by the kdrama ‘The Beauty Inside’. All the other story and character elements are original, obviously apart from the actual characters and some of the company names which are from the teams from Haikyuu. I was originally going to make Hinata a professional volleyball player but it didn’t really work so he’s an actor now!
> 
> Warning: there is a small description of a car crash and some blood, read up to the warning sign (in bold) and skip to the next chapter. Quick summary, Hinata's sister (implied) gets into a car crash but there is *someone* who saves her.

“I’ll bring the documents for you to sign after the meeting, make sure you actually read them before signing. We haven’t been able to contact Hinata’s agency yet, but I’ll see if I can talk to his manager.”

Kageyama merely answered with a wave of his hand and a slight nod, which went unnoticed by his blond secretary, probably on purpose.

"You've got a meeting in an hour, then an online conference at 4, followed by a family dinner which you have to be at by 7." Kageyama seemed to completely ignore the schedule update, nodding slightly at the employees who greeted him. Most would interpret Kageyama's silence as deep thoughtfulness and would leave him alone for some time, but Tsukishima knew better than to think that the director would be so set on something other than work, and continued to talk.

“What's so important about this model? It’s not like we’re lacking anything in comparison, and it’s not like you’ll be able to recognise him anyways. I mean, I get it's for the brand image considering his acting career and reputation, but it's a very sudden decision on our part. He probably has some kind of contract with the other company already.” Tsukishima suddenly stopped walking, whilst Kageyama continued to move at his own pace, leaving him behind.

“You’re not trying to completely sabotage Director Oikawa, are you?” Tsukishima called, quickening his steps in order to catch up (with not much difficulty, considering his height). Again, Kageyama barely moved, and shrugged vaguely in response. Maybe I am trying to mess shit up one by one, Kageyama thought.

Kageyama decided to break his silence for a very valuable input. “What do you want for lunch, Tsukishima? Japanese style or American style?”

“Director, we should really be focusing on the new business deal with Nekoma Group. This is an important opportunity, and we have to close it before Director Oikawa—”

“I was thinking Japanese style today,” Kageyama interrupted, again completely ignoring the advice of his secretary. Tsukishima sighed, pushing his thin glasses up to his nose bridge. On the topic of glasses no matter how many times Kageyama had insisted on buying a new pair for him, designer even, Tsukishima had vehemently rejected the offer and told him to “mind his own business”. He could probably guess why Tsukishima was so protective over these glasses, but he kept asking just in case Tsukishima would one day accept. But Kageyama probably paid Tsukishima enough for him to buy as many pairs as he wanted, as the secretary got a raise every time he had to clean up a mess that Kageyama had made. Which was probably too often. Kageyama's brutally honest attitude had gotten him into trouble many, many times.

“Director Kageyama, please be mindful of upholding your own reputation,” Tsukishima spoke sharply, hoping to reason with the young director. “As the heir of KS Group, your critics and business rivals are always watching you.”

This time, Kageyama stopped walking, the heel of his shoe connecting harshly with the floor.

“Tsukishima, I’m the son of the owner of this group. I’m basically untouchable, so don’t worry. And as for Director Oikawa, well…”

“Tooooobio!” A bright voice rang out across the lobby of the building, a tall brunet in a crisp suit appearing in front of Kageyama and Tsukishima. “What a coincidence seeing you here.”

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear,” Tsukishima commented dryly, then immediately turned and shaped his face into something resembling a polite smile. “Director Oikawa, what a… pleasant surprise.”

Tsukishima always made sure to greet people first, or to whisper their names to Kageyama before he talked to anyone, so there wouldn’t be any embarrassing situations. Not that Kageyama especially cared, but Tsukishima attempted to maintain the company’s reputation when possible on behalf of the director. Especially after what happened last time with that- according Tsukishima- “once in a lifetime opportunity that you just _had_ to fuck up by not listening to me” business deal.

“Yes, well, I was just concluding a business deal with Fukurodani. You know, one of the top four in this continent. I do believe you’re not the CEO of KS Group just yet, so keep working hard- but not too hard, Director.”

“You know that you’ve barely got a chance.”

Oikawa turned to his secretary, who was hiding his barely hiding his displeasure better than Tsukishima was. “Iwa-chan, what was the comeback I had written down for this situation?”

His clearly bored secretary stared back at him blankly, and the director awkwardly turned back around to his brother- well, technically step brother. “Anyways, Grandfather and Grandmother are old and cynical. Their minds can be changed if you keep doing such a shitty job.”

Oikawa had been gathering ‘favourite grandchild’ points left and right recently, which began after he actually went out on a second date with some rich heiress. That was a milestone that his younger brother was yet to achieve- Kageyama had never cared much for relationships, despite the pressure from the entire family to get married.

Kageyama crossed his arms, and made a mental note to close the Nekoma deal as soon as possible (as if Tsukishima hadn’t already written it on his schedule four times already). It was as if the young director was running entirely on spite, and wouldn’t do anything if not for the rivalry with his brother. Honestly, Tsukishima was almost grateful to Oikawa. Almost.

“I look forward to it, Director Oikawa,” Kageyama responded, his voice cold and distant once again. Tsukishima gave him a curt bow, and they exited the building at last.

Kageyama and Oikawa’s rivalry was almost like second nature to them. In school, they were always competing for a higher ranking, for better test scores, for their grandparents’ favour. Their rivalry hadn’t dissipated at all as they grew older, but now the end goal was to inherit KS Group. Despite being younger, Kageyama had always been the first choice, as the favourite grandchild and the only biological grandchild. Before, Oikawa had never really wanted to do so, so Kageyama’s position remained largely undisputed. But now, it was different, and Oikawa was catching up, too fast for comfort. The two siblings were cat and mouse, and neither wanted to be overtaken by the other.

As the executive director of Tempo, one of the top companies for electronics in the country, as well as the heir (for now) to the internationally successful KS Group, Kageyama had way too much time. Maybe that was why he was always getting into some kind of trouble, and Tsukishima was the one responsible for the aftermath. He didn’t really mind though. Whenever he had to do some kind of damage control, which was more often than he wanted, he always got a raise.

“Director? Is there a particular restaurant you prefer or should I pick a place?” Tsukishima asked, as they drove away.

“I’ve lost my appetite. I’ll just go back to the office.” Tsukishima instructed the driver to take them back to the KS building, then made no further attempt to talk to his grumpy boss.

“What, you aren’t going to convince me to eat or anything?” Kageyama asked, feigning an offended expression.

Without turning around, he laconically commented on Kageyama’s stubbornness, and how it would end up being a waste of his effort. They had known each other for a decade now, and Tsukishima knew that certain tasks were just impossible.

“Stingyshima.” Kageyama grumbled under his breath.

***

It wasn’t a particularly bad day, or anything. It was just a regular day, maybe more dark and dull than usual, now that Kageyama thought about it. There had been some… complications in deciding which brother would run the main company. Oikawa had been the first choice by perspective of business, but his grandparents were making the final decision. And they were quite… traditional, in a sense. Kageyama, their only biological grandchild, with dark hair and a permanent scowl on his face, was the obvious choice. Thus, Kageyama became the director of Tempo and Oikawa became the director of a rival company, not under KS, whose goal to overtake his younger brother never wavered.

It was a windy sort of day, not too cold or anything, but kind of dismal. If this was a literature class, 'pathetic fallacy' and 'foreshadowing' would be scrawled across the scene. But it wasn't, and it was real life, which means that nobody could have known.

For the first time in 48 hours, the newly appointed director stepped out of his office. Just to grab some fresh air, Kageyama explained. He found himself in a suburban area, quite a distance from the skyscrapers and office buildings of the usual scenery. He didn't know how long he had been walking. The winding roads melted into one and Kageyama was no longer aware of where he was or where he was going. It didn't matter, he had his phone. Kageyama patted his pockets. Nevermind.

The wind stung his face, but both his expression and hair remained still. If a stranger encountered Kageyama on his walk, they would have recounted his expression, it was too familiar, but on the border of something not human. Belonging to a dream or to a photograph. It wasn't just the stillness of his face.

***warning starts here***

A young girl skipped across the footpath, her bright orange hair almost floating in the wind, chasing after a white volleyball. It bounced and spun wildly on the gravel, brushing past her fingertips and rolling further into the middle of the road. Her older brother with hair almost more obnoxiously bright, had gotten caught up tying his shoelaces. It didn’t matter. She knew she was responsible!

A car came hurtling down the bend, out of control, just like the volleyball a few seconds ago. Wild orange hair appeared at the corner of the footpath. Grinning, she clutched the ball in her arms, and turned around to wave. Her brother’s mouth moved, but his body didn’t. Frowning, she tried to decipher what he was saying, but the wind carried it all away.

Then, she was falling. A screech of brakes was the only warning she had. But the volleyball was ripped out of her arms, limbs loose. She didn’t know where the ground was, and everything was spinning- the light appeared and then disappeared just as quickly. Like a rag doll in a washing machine, she tumbled around, the force pushing her back several metres. The girl lay on the asphalt on her side, gasping for short breaths, paralysed. Her ribs hurt and her arms hurt and her head hurt and everything just hurt. Something warm crept across her shoulder and back, the stickiness seeping through her shirt. Barely managing to crack open her eyes, she watched as her brother fussed over her, pulling her head into his lap. But his eyes were on something- or someone else. The young girl’s eyes followed her brother’s hands without tilting her head, and they were shaking as he pulled his phone out. Her lips parted, trying to ask what was wrong. She tried to reach an arm out to comfort her brother. But she couldn't. Her consciousness flickered, and voices appeared behind her like a radio filled with static.

“Call an ambulance!”

“… his head?”

“He's bleeding!”

Then sirens, then nothing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So,,, this is the first work I'm posting here, and I'm kind of nervous,,,  
> Please leave comments/constructive feedback! Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

He was back.

It was a distant memory, yet so distinct. He had almost forgotten about it. A cruel, merciless reminder of his failure.

He stood at the corner of the footpath, but couldn’t exactly remember what had happened before that point. His hand was cold and empty. But he had been holding her hand just then. He whirled around, confused. She wasn’t there. Turning back around, he could see her, standing on the road, looking straight into his eyes.

The headlights appeared. He tried to run out into the road but his numb body refused to move a millimetre. He opened his mouth to shout a warning. But nothing came out. Paralysed and mute, he couldn’t do anything but stand there. They say that time seems to slow down when something bad happens, but it all passed in a flash. Still frozen, voices surrounded him. It was somewhat distorted, like a ripple.

“Shouyou!”

It was a woman’s voice. Maybe his mother?

He vaguely remembered his mother crying and yelling. Lots of yelling.

“Shouyou! Hinata Shouyou!”

The voice cleared, sounding much less like his mother.

Frowning, he squinted up at the figure leaning over him. A young woman with dark hair… who was definitely not his mother. There was a click, and then light shone into his eyes. Startled, he jolted upright and just barely missed colliding heads.

Her soft voice filtered through his ears, which felt like they were full of water. “You ok? I think you had a nightmare.”

Hinata stared at his hands for a second, flipping them over, palms up and then down again. Looking up slowly, two pairs of eyes watching his movements, he managed to crack a sleepy smile.

“I’m fine. I haven’t had a nightmare in a while. Just… unexpected.”

A deep voice with clear enunciation spoke through the watery barrier. “If you say so. But we’re here if you want to talk.”

“Let’s talk again in the morning.” The softer voice asserted.

Closing his eyes, Hinata nodded his head, his wild bedhead bobbing up and down.

There were no more nightmares. He didn’t sleep for the rest of the night.

***

When Hinata eventually found the strength to drag himself out of bed, the apartment was empty. He had heard movement earlier, but couldn’t sit up. He reached for the digital clock on his nightstand. 12:32 pm.

It was already past noon. Of course they had left. Unlike Hinata, they had jobs that actually had a strict schedule. Kiyoko, the head of marketing at Tempo and Ushijima, a surgical fellow at the hospital. Hinata used to compare himself to his friends, even though they were a few years older than he was. But acting was what he truly wanted to pursue, and it had paid off. The past fortnight, his schedule had been interview after interview following his most recent film’s popularity and international recognition.

“We’re friends with an A-list celebrity now!” His friends joked.

Not bothering to put on his slippers, Hinata trudged to the kitchen. The smell of a home cooked meal wafted over as he approached the marble island. A variety of small dishes and rice lay spread out across table, alongside a note.

The cursive became jumbled and confused in Hinata’s sleep deprived brain, but it was neat enough for him to decipher through swollen eyes.

_Hinata, we’re sorry that we couldn’t stay until you woke up. To be honest, we were pretty sure that you weren’t asleep but we hoped you could get some rest._

_We’re here to support you, so don’t think of yourself as a burden. You can always talk to us (except when Ushi’s on call and I’m at a meeting)! We haven’t forgotten how difficult this must have been. You’re a strong and resilient person, but even the strongest people need support sometimes. We’re your friends, and we’re here for you._

_So get some rest and some sleep, and take care of yourself. Text us if you need anything._

_Kiyoko + Ushijima._

Hinata smiled.

***

“Thank you, Director. I look forward to working with you again in the future. Although, it would help a lot if you were more… punctual next time.”

Kageyama forced a polite smile on his face. “Nekoma is a beneficial partner for us. I, too, look forward to working with you in the business field again.” Luckily for Tsukishima, the director had _graciously_ overlooked that ending comment. Which meant that this time, he didn’t have to work overtime again, saving KS Group’s reputation.

The two directors shook hands, and Kageyama immediately walked out, indifferent about small talk. Formalities took too much effort. Tsukishima wondered how it was possible that the chairwoman of KS raised such a stubborn grandchild. He pushed his glasses up to his nose bridge.

“I told you we would be late, Director.”

“The deal went as we expected, no?”

“No, well, yes, but we don’t know what could have happened.” The secretary retorted, exasperated. “Every time I warn you—”

“Yes, yes. So, what’s next on my schedule?”

Tsukishima’s eyebrows crept up his forehead. The director had never asked for his schedule first… it was always him who had to chase the director with reminders and notices. Fortunately, Tsukishima was able to recover in time to respond confidently with a snarky comment.

“Well, you have the online conference soon. Which we would have had time to go over the content and revise speaking points for, if you hadn’t insisted on being late, Director.” 

Kageyama wheezed out a laugh, his shoulders shaking slightly. “What, it’s not like this is school or anything. Revise? That’s some bullshit. I’ll just wing it. Business genius here, remember?”

***

_2012\. 3 months after the accident._

He was frustrated. Frustrated that nobody could help him, frustrated that he couldn’t help himself, frustrated that nobody could help him help himself. It was a cycle of trying and giving up and then some motivational bullshit being spewed at him and bringing himself to try again.

“Try again. You have to try to attempt at least half today.” The blond paused. “… Please?”

He showed the photographs one by one, waiting for a response from Kageyama after each. Then he marked a circle for correct and a cross for incorrect on the sheet attached to the clipboard.

“Mum.”

Flip.

“Brother. Wait no, Sugawara senpai.”

Flip.

“Kuroo.”

Flip.

“Dad.”

Flip.

“Dad.”

Pause.

“The other one was Dad. This one…”

Flip.

“I... I don’t know.”

And so on.

There was progress. This time, Kageyama got two correct, compared to only one for the past week. And he managed to give an answer for most.

But his family wanted more. They needed him to get better quickly so he could resume training to become the next CEO. But as the doctors explained, there was no cure. He would just have to practice and learn coping mechanisms. There was no guarantee, though. Theoretically, Oikawa should have been pretty much over the moon about this. It meant that it was likely that Kageyama wouldn’t be the heir and Oikawa would instead. Because no matter how much hard work he put in, biological grandchildren were always the priority. But he wasn’t. He was worried and wanted to help, but there wasn’t anything he could do but encourage his brother. Oikawa had researched. He knew that even though Kageyama couldn’t recognise faces, there were other ways for him to identify people through other features. So he helped him, pointing out features and mannerisms of others in the hospital, so maybe Kageyama would be able to replicate these strategies in the future. He wasn’t sure how much it would help, but Oikawa wanted to help his brother make progress. 

Progress was important.

***

“Just a reminder, Director, the contract with our current brand model is ending in a few months. From the looks of it, they’re not going to renew.”

“I know.”

“Well, shouldn’t we sign another contract with a different model soon? I get that you’re super fixated on Hinata, but Director Oikawa isn’t going to give up that easily. What do you suggest that we do?”

Kageyama shrugged, not bothering to respond clearly to Tsukishima’s pretty urgent questions.

“You figure it out, you’re my secretary.”

“That’s not in my job description.”

“I’ll pay you.”

“Of course, Director. I’ll have the contract on your desk by next week.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i don't really know how contracts work but i hope it makes sense...  
> thank you for reading and see you next chapter!


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